Hagenbeck Zoo – where the animals are the stars

Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg is a 19-hectare park, a zoo and an all-weather cultural attraction rolled into one. People have been enjoying days out at this leafy oasis on the outskirts of Hamburg since 1907.

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Carl Hagenbeck's world-famous panoramas are still the defining feature of Hagenbeck Zoo. These heritage-listed enclosures give you the impression of being in the wild with the animals and let you see predators roaming seemingly freely. Nearly 2,000 animals representing more than 200 species and from all five continents live in the park, from the African lion to the zebra shark. The zoo also successfully breeds endangered species such as the orang-utan and the Asian elephant. What child wouldn't like to feed a giraffe, see an elephant calf or watch other rare and cute young animals? It's all possible at Hagenbeck. The little ones can get up close to pygmy goats and ovambo goats in the children's zoo or run around in the large playground with its Wild West fort. Carriage rides, camel and pony rides in summer and lots of daily feeding displays turn a trip to the zoo into a magical experience. Watching animals is great fun, no matter how old you are. From the Asian elephant and the orang-utan to the giant South American otter and the dwarf zebu – all the animals have a part to play in this distinguished zoo. In the Polar Sea, opened in 2012, you can see walruses, fur seals, sea lions, penguins and other marine creatures at close quarters. Whether nose to nose with a diving polar bear or surrounded by a colony of penguins – you are given plenty of fascinating insights into the inhabitants of the polar seas on a 750m walk-through trail. The penguin enclosure is particularly spectacular, and the large sea bird aviary is populated by king eiders, long-tailed ducks, Arctic terns, ruffs and other Arctic sea birds. A visit to Hagenbeck Zoo promises to be one to remember!

Highlights

Animals may be the stars at Hagenbeck Zoo but you also get an insight into foreign cultures. Of particular note are the exquisite hand carvings on the Nepalese pagodas and on the Thai pavilion in the Japanese pond. Right next to the zoo and the tropical aquarium is the world's first themed zoo hotel. Its colonial architecture is breathtakingly exotic and even the journey to one of its 158 rooms and suites is an adventure: each themed floor, which you arrive at by 'ship', takes you a tour of discovery through the flora and fauna of Africa, Asia and the Arctic.

Arrangementer

There is no doubt that the three buildings belonging to the Hamburg Kunsthalle house one of the most important public art collections in Germany: perhaps the best place to discover connections, developments and trends in seven centuries of art history. The permanent exhibition of more than 700 works and alternating displays from the museum's holdings offer a unique insight into art from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Every one of the museum's collections is important in its own right but in combination they have an immense impact. The museum presents the medieval altars of Master Bertram and Master Francke, 17th century Dutch paintings and 19th century German paintings with extensive groups of works by Caspar David Friedrich, Philipp Otto Runge, Adolph Menzel and Max Liebermann. Works of the Classical Modernist period include paintings and sculptures by Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Edvard Munch, Emil Nolde, Paul Klee, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Beckmann, Lyonel Feininger, George Grosz and Max Ernst. The contemporary art section features alternating exhibitions, which have included Georg Baselitz, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Mona Hatoum and Jenny Holzer. The Department of Prints and Drawings comprises more than 120,000 works and is a museum in its own right. The Kunsthalle also runs the 'Museum At Home' initiative where art historians give their expert opinion on paintings (on canvas and wood), drawings and prints for a small fee.

The location of Schmidt's Tivoli (and its nearby sister theatre the Schmidt Theatre) in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, and specifically on the Reeperbahn, says quite a lot about the theatre itself. Shows at the Tivoli are all about light-hearted entertainment, with a generous helping of offbeat humour. But this is exactly what audiences are after and why they have been flocking to both theatres for more than 30 years now.

The Schmidts Tivoli building's octagonal auditorium is reminiscent of a circus arena and it has a plush, intimate atmosphere – perfect for musicals, comedy and variety. Schmidts Tivoli specialises in German-language musical revues, which are produced entirely inhouse: from the first to the last note, from the initial idea to the final performance.

The International German Open has been held at the Rothenbaum club in Hamburg since 1892, making it Germany's longest-running tennis tournament.

Today, it is the only tournament in Germany to be part of the ATP World
Tour 500 and is also one of the 20 largest tennis tournaments in the
world. Its illustrious list of former champions includes tennis greats
such as Rod Laver, Gottfried von Cramm, Budge Patty, Fred Stolle, Tony
Roche, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

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